August 2004
In This Issue:

Featured Events - Harvest Festival

Real Stories - Case Study #10: Annual Children's Day

Special Promotions - National Outreach Convention Registration

                                        Referral Rewards Program

Effective Resources - Fundles!

Event Planning Tip of the Month - Brainstorm with your Team


News & Updates - Team & Performer News

Joke of the Month - Brought to you by Nazareth



Harvest Festival

Check out these ideas for hosting a community-wide Harvest Festival and outreach-a great Halloween alternative! Take a few tips for your own Event, or plan a full-blown festival complete with all the trimmings. This family-friendly Event has something fun for everyone!

Target Audience
  • Families
  • Entire church
  • Neighboring community
Location
  • Church building
  • Parking lot
  • Other open space
Site Set-Up Ideas
  • Game booths
  • Stage
  • Maze
  • Picnic area
  • Obstacle course
  • Ticket sales booth
  • Welcome table
Decorations
  • Dried ears of Indian corn
  • Hay bales
  • Scarecrows
  • Pumpkins
  • Candy wreaths
  • Autumn leaves
Game Booths
  • Set up any number of concession stands with candy and toys as prizes.
  • Rent a dunk tank with pastoral staff ready for drenching.
  • Hold a cakewalk with homemade cakes as prizes.
  • Set up an obstacle course and races.
Maze
  • Create a maze from cut up plastic garbage bags or miscellaneous items.
  • Set up goodies at intervals or dead ends.
  • Position creative characters within the maze as guides or storytellers.
  • Set up the maze as the entrance to your Harvest Festival.
Contests
  • Consider holding competitions that guests can be involved in.
  • Here are some ideas: pumpkin carving, best costume, best square dancing couple, pie eating contests, apple dunking, chili cook-off, etc.
Stage
  • Have a main stage set aside for entertainment and contests.
  • Try entertainment like hoedown music, a family friendly Outreach Comedy performer, storytelling, and square dancing lessons.
  • To host an Outreach Comedy performer, contact an Event Coordinator at  866-400-2036 for more information, or click here.
Food
  • Set aside an area where guests can purchase additional goodies.
  • Serve foods like hot apple cider, caramel apples, nachos, hot dogs, and pizza.
  • Set out picnic tables and trashcans for convenience.
Welcome Table & Ticket Sales
  • Equip a hospitality crew to greet guests with information on the church or ministry.
  • Have contact cards or sign up sheets available to collect visitor information for follow-up.
  • If selling tickets for entry or a raffle, collect contact information on back of tickets for follow-up. Have ministry information available to visitors at a welcome booth.
  • Have visitor welcome gifts available.
Outreach Ideas & Tools
  • Canvass local neighborhoods with Outreach DoorHangersT.
  • Send a postcard mailer or Outreach ImpactCardT to the community.
  • Equip church members with Outreach InviteCardsT for their friends.
  • Hang an Outreach ImpactBannerT across a main road or pathway.
  • Send a press release to local newspapers.
  • Take out airtime on local radio stations.
  • Cross-promote at other events, movies, concerts, etc.
  • Leave flyers at local businesses.
  • Get listed on newspaper, Internet and radio community calendars.
  • For Outreach communication tools, contact an Outreach Specialist at   800-991-6011 for more information, or click here.
Budget Booster Ideas
  • Have church members donate candy and toys.
  • Solicit local businesses to sponsor booths.
  • Put each church ministry or club in charge of one or two booths.
  • Have the men's ministry build any needed booths several weeks before the Event.
  • Sell game tickets in packs of 20 for a minimum of $5 per pack (4 tickets for $1).
  • Attach a cover charge for the evening: $10 per adult, $5 per student and child, free for seniors and children under the age of 5. Sell tickets in advance and at the door.
  • Hold a raffle with tickets for $10 each. Announce winners from stage.

 


Case Study #10

Annual Children's Day

Event Basics

Customer Interviewed: Reverend Joseph Brown

Organization Name: St. Luke AME Zion Church

Event Name: Annual Children's Day

Event Type: Comedy during Sunday Service

Event Dates & Time: June 16, 2004 - 11am

Event Location: Church Address

Location Profile: Downtown area of Wilmington, NC.

Attendee Type: Church audience, morning worship.

Price per Attendee: none

Total Attendees: 175

 

Behind the Scenes Efforts

Planning Timeframe: Began planning mid-January.

 

Team Efforts: The Event was sponsored by the Department of Christian Education at St. Luke (made up of various divisions: adult, youth and children's). Approximately 5 team members helped plan the morning's events.

 

Publicity

Radio Promotion: Aired an ad featuring a comedy audio clip from Willie Brown. The ad aired on 2 local stations (one hip-hop station, the other featured oldies/R&B/80s&90s) in Wilmington with a 2 hour broadcast range. The ad ran twice each Thursday & Friday for two weeks.

Church Promotion: Invited other area churches to join in the celebration.

 

About the Event

Event Purpose: To richly bless those attending their Annual Children's Day Sunday service.

Event Content Included: Normal worship services went on as usual, but everything was led by children. the children's choir sang, scripture was read by children, prayer was offered up by children, and the offering was taken as usual. In place of the normal sermon, the Outreach Comedy ventriloquist entertained and shared a message.

 

About the Comedy Performance

Performer: Ventriloquist Willie Brown & sidekick Woody.

Type: 30-45 minutes of ventriloquism with a brief message.

Response to the Performer: "I think it's a worthwhile ministry that breaks the mold of what we normally do for Children's ministry events. Willie was well received by children and parents, and he put scriptures in a frame of reference that could easily be understood and appreciated by children. Willie blended in really well with the congregation and participated in the worship itself. His interaction with the congregation and the service made a world of difference-and they enjoyed interacting with him during the reception afterwards."-Reverend Joseph Brown

 

Results

New Attendance: Approximately 50

Overall Response to the Entire Event: Excellent.

 

Audience Decisions: Children & parents were asked to come forward for prayer. Approximately 30-35 children came forward with parents for a family commitment prayer.  

 

Additional Comments

How This Compares with Past Events: Reverend Brown mentioned that this was such a brand new experience-hosting a televised celebrity put this event above other local speakers they've previously hosted.

Future Plans: Reverend Brown plans to host another event next year.

 

Monthly Website Promotion

Free registration to the National Outreach Convention!* Book by Aug. 31, 2004. Click here to find out more.

 

Referral Rewards Program

  • For every 3 Referrals**, receive 30% off the average Booking Price, applied to your next Event.
  • For every 5 Referrals**, receive 50% off the average Booking Price, applied to your next Event.
  • For every 10 Referrals**, receive a FREE Performance! (Valued up to $2000)

* Booking minimum required. Offer good on new events only. Not valid with any other offer. Must mention offer to Event Coordinator at time of first contact.

**Qualifying Referrals must book an Event, valid on referral's initial Event only, new clients only, with a minimum Event price of $1000.



Fundles!

Outreach Comedy Top Talent
+
Outreach Communication Tools

=

A Successful, Cost-Effective Outreach Event

 

Outreach Comedy 's top-quality talent, combined with the best Outreach communication tools available, provide the essentials for an effective and successful Outreach Event. Capture their attention with Outreach communication tools, then capture their hearts utilizing a hysterical and entertaining Outreach Comedy Christian Performer.

Now specifically bundled together, "Fundles" combine both these essential elements into one strategic and specially priced package for a complete, effective and successful Event. Ask your Event Coordinator about Fundles and pricing!

Fundles Include...

• Comedian & Travel* to your site

• 5,000 personalized ImpactCards™

• Addressing (Mailhouse)

• Targeted Mailing List (OnTarget™)

• Bulk Rate sorting

• Personalized 4'x8' horizontal, 4-color, vinyl ImpactBanner™

• 200 InviteCard™ invitations or 150 DoorHangers™

• Coordinatng ImpactSite™ website  

          

*Price includes $400 travel stipend, costs may vary. Speak with an Event Coordinator for details.

Click here to view more about Fundles.

 

Brainstorm with Your Team

Start with a vision, and don't be afraid to "Dream Big!" Hold a brainstorming session with your team-this is a great way to set goals and objectives, and get some great ideas for your Event. Gather all ideas and feedback, without discouraging anything as too outlandish or extravagant. You probably won't use all ideas this time around, but don't squelch brainstorming excitement-your team's passion is critical to having a great Event!

 


Comedian Phil DiTommaso

Welcome the newest addition to the Outreach Comedy roster! Phil hails from the Eastern seaboard with a unique twist on everything from his Italian New York upbringing to the trials and tribulations of everyday life. Enjoy the family-friendly comedy of Phil DiTommaso. Performer profile and video clips coming soon!

Comedian Cory Edwards

Catch Cory on ESPN 2, he's the new host of K9 Nation, an off-beat sporting dog show! Read Cory's profile and view video clips, click here.

National Outreach Convention

November 3-6 in San Diego, CA. Experience the synergy and excitement of joining with thousands of church leaders from across the nation and around the world at the 2nd annual National Outreach Convention. Schedule an Outreach Comedy Event* by August 31, 2004, and receive a registration for FREE! Click here to find out more about this promotion, or visit the National Outreach Convention website for more convention news.

*Booking minimum required. Offer good on new events only. Not valid with any other offer. Must mention offer to Event Coordinator at time of first contact.


Brought to you by Nazareth

"There was a man that was stranded on an island for 12 years. When a captain of a ship came to rescue him, the captain insisted that the man tell him why he had 3 huts on the island, considering he was the only person living there.

"'That's easy to answer,' the man said to the captain, 'the first hut is my house, the second hut is the church I attend.'

"'What's the 3 rd hut for?' the captain asked.

"'Oh Captain,' the man answered, 'that's the church I used to go to.'"

To read more about Nazareth, click here.